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Monday, November 22, 2010

Why You Should Keep Going When The Going Sucks

Last week, Kelly blogged about hope for writers seeking publication, and the odds stacked against them. In case you missed it (and shame on you if you did!), you can read it here.

Like her, I see the downside to this whole writing/publishing thing. It's not easy to stay hopeful, especially in times like these. Now I don't know about you, but I get discouraged quite often. And not just about writing. Life in general can be a very hard thing to deal with, right?

But guess what?

That doesn't make me stop.

Yes, I feel like throwing in the towel and calling it a day, but I don't. I can't. And that's usually what happens when you find something that makes you happy. Like you're not you unless you do it.

For me, it's not so much about hope. It's... well... it's about being selfish. Writing makes me happy, and I plan on doing it for a very long time. Even if I never get published. Why? Because getting published is a goal, not the goal. That might not be the case for every writer, as Kelly mentioned in her post, but the one thing we can't lose perspective of is the actual writing part. That whole having your book in hardcover/paperback part? Just the icing on the cake.

If I told you not to get discouraged, I'd be one big fat hypocrite. Of course you can get discouraged. It's n-o-r-m-a-l. Just remember to pick yourself back up and keep going. Even when the going sucks.

Especially when the going sucks.

You'll learn. Grow. Become a much better writer than you thought possible. And guess what? The more you improve, the more your odds of getting that book deal will be in your favor, right? It's not all about luck in this game, folks. Talent and perseverance go a long way, too.

14 comments:

great post, Amparo. it's hard to remember when life sucks and when you're feeling down that it's still all about the writing. i think we put too much pressure on ourselves to write the most creative, original thing EVER, and then we get bogged down. it's not easy, but nothing worth doing is.

I love this post. You totally said it, Amparo. I'm not even me when I'm not working on something book-related. At least I'm not the whole me.

I often think of the stories about writers who wrote book after book, whole lifetimes passing before their hope of publication came through. What mattered wasn't that they got published in the Spring of their lives, but that they wrote and lived.

hi mr amparo! i see lots of stuff on getting discouraged out. so what you said is just real good help writer feel like keeping on trying. i like how you said "getting published is a goal, not the goal." for me i dont care much if i get published cause i just love writing stuff. maybe when i get more older i could feel more different....hugs from lenny

I'm not giving up, even if the odds are against me. People make it, and if I keep trying...maybe i can too. Until then, I think I have still made some great friends and well, it's given me something to do that I love